Alex Burdine and Rudy J. Ellis of Switchboard.Live talk about taking a traditional audio podcast and expanding it into the world of live multi-streaming video. Later they discuss, StreamShare an incredible new tool to help live streamers grow the reach and audience across multiple platforms all at once.
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Full Computer Generated Text Transcript:
[00:00:00] Alex Burdine: When I think about now engaging my, listeners, the videos, the first thing I think of, I normally get 500 viewers from my Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. I increased the viewership four times up to over 2000 viewers through the aggregated viewers of, all the stream shares. Stream share functionality has been a game changer for us.
Rudy J. Ellis: So initially you just make sure it was a traditional podcast, is audio only, correct?
Alex Burdine: Yeah. And that’s, I didn’t even never thought to bring it to that level. I’d used zoom a little bit before so I feel, pretty comfortable now mostly I, you can see my podcast mic here.
I love talking into a mic. I’ve been on video enough to feel comfortable talking but I never thought about using it as an extension of the podcast or, bringing on a video of the, [00:01:00] guests themselves. My experience now is I’ve used Facebook and have used YouTube a little bit.
So I’m familiar with that experience but it wasn’t until I met you and Alex of switchboard fame it really made sense for me to go, should I augment this podcast? Can I expand the audience with video? Yeah, that’s the background.
Rudy J. Ellis: So let me make sure I understand.
So prior to joining switchboard as a, team member you had your podcast, you’ve dabbled with zoom. You dabbled with Facebook and dabble with YouTube, but you never really, I guess thought about, this phenomenon around multi streaming. So I love to hear it now that you’ve had a couple streams under your belt and you’ve you leveraged it.
Like what, does multistreaming mean to you?
Alex Burdine: Yeah, it means a few things first of all, it means reach I’m reaching more people than I ever did before. As I said [00:02:00] there are people who follow me on Twitter and Instagram and that kind of thing. And they’ll reach out and say, Hey, I love your podcasts.
I haven’t really listened to a ton of it. So one thing I did, I created little mini versions of the podcast and called them a too long didn’t listen and made little videos. So I’m putting them on, YouTube so people can listen to a little segments of the, episodes and so I was like a new video made sense for us, but.
That’s because podcasts are great, but you got to sit down for an hour that’s how long I have the episodes and but video is just much more engaging. You can see something, all of your senses are engaged with it. Adding multi streaming just means now there’s so many more people who are, watching and checking out the podcasts.
I’m on Facebook sometimes I’m on Instagram sometimes, but Twitter is mostly where you’d find me and. I’m able to, reach into these other [00:03:00] segments that I just, I didn’t have before.
Rudy J. Ellis: How long are you going live?
Alex Burdine: I’m going live almost every week now it’s that’s what, the biggest thing for me it’s, meant some behavior change so that I’m doing more live video.
I’m doing more video than I am actual podcasting at this point. ’cause it’s, fun. I, it’s just, it’s fun to just get on, jump on and with a couple of other people from the community and interview actually I’ve had some podcasts turn actually come in, turn into video podcasts.
And so I’ve had a couple episodes where I’ve got to talk with some of the cast face to face. Yeah. Yeah. That’s yeah, it’s been really great.
Rudy J. Ellis: So it sounds like switchboard and multi streaming and using the product has had a positive, negative impact on your pod.
[00:04:00] Alex Burdine: Yeah. When it’s when it comes to podcasting, it’s it’s been a great experiences.
Switchboard is, it just when I think about now engaging my, listeners, the video is the first thing I think of, because I can just. It’s fun turn it on. There’s a ton of work that goes into actually editing the podcast. When it comes to video, I’m fine with just being myself and letting it be out there and doing the live thing is it’s really it’s tactile.
It’s, you get immediate response from people who are watching and their questions and that kind of thing. But I think the biggest thing from in my kind of corner of the world with, community, we have. A bunch of creators who are in the space and they’re all supporting the show in unique ways.
And what I’ve done is I’ve invited them on my podcasts, my video casting, and now we’re doing like monthly live streams with four or five people [00:05:00] from, the community talking to fans, just having a good time. And that’s where the stream share functionality has been a game changer for us.
Rudy J. Ellis: Stream share. Yeah maybe, talk a little bit more about that. What, exactly is stream share? What has that done for you? Do you have any like recent obviously use cases that you could talk about the stream shares helped out a ton?
Alex Burdine: Yeah, for sure. So what stream share does as, now I’m talking as a, as user and as a, as an employee, what screen-share does is it allows me to take my video feed and send it on to other participants feeds. So, take this. We’ve got four or five people on a zoom call and I’m able to send that, feed, not just to my Twitter, not just to my Facebook, not just to my YouTube, but I’m able through stream share to authorize their account. We send an email there’s no password [00:06:00] sharing.
There’s no account sharing. The my participants add their accounts. So this last time I had three, three extra Twitter accounts and a YouTube account. Excuse me. And I normally get 500 viewers from my Twitter or Facebook, YouTube. I increase the viewership four times up to two, over 2000 viewers through the aggregated viewers of, all the stream shares.
So it’s a win-win for me because I’m increasing the number of people, seeing who I am, but it’s a really win-win for the other participants because. They’re not pointing just back to my stream feeds, they’re pointing to their own Twitter accounts and saying, Hey, I’m on this thing. Come watch me sending us questions and we’ll engage.
And I honestly it’s everyone is thrilled to be participating in it on a monthly basis and the viewership has grown and yeah, [00:07:00] that’s great.
